A History of Photography

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DISPLAY: The Photographs Gallery draws upon the V&A’s internationally renowned collection and chronicles the history of photography from the 1840s up to the present day.

In 1852, the V&A became the first museum to collect photographs and in 1858, the first to hold a photography exhibition. The Gallery showcases some of the most technically brilliant and artistically accomplished photographs in the history of the medium.

This re-hang of the permanent display shows works by key figures of photographic history and includes an insight into some of the V&A's first staff photographers, such as Charles Thurston Thompson and Isabel Agnes Cowper. The display also showcases a number of exciting new acquisitions made through the generosity of the Photographs Acquisition Group, including work by Ori Gersht, Darren Harvey-Regan and Denis Brihat.

Displays complement our permanent collections; there are many free temporary displays around the V&A. They range in size from a single case to a room.